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ANNAPOLIS — For years, Susan W. Turnbull has concentrated her political activism at the national level, undertaking myriad leadership roles that culminated with her election as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2005.

That's exactly what makes her the right fit to be the new chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party, lawmakers and observers said Thursday after learning that Gov. Martin O'Malley will formally nominate her to the post next Thursday at a meeting of the state party's executive committee.

"We're so lucky to have a player who knows all the ins and outs of politics at every level to be heading up the state party," said Montgomery County Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, who has known Turnbull for 20 years. "She's exactly the right person at exactly the right time, and has the energy and incredible brains to deliver for Maryland and certainly Montgomery County in the [Obama] administration."

Turnbull boasts a long list of national party contacts, and her fundraising experience will pay immediate dividends for Maryland Democrats looking to overcome the ailing economy and build on gains made in 2006.

"A huge number of Democratic Party donors who live in Montgomery County only donate nationally, and she's the perfect person to tap into that," said House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Dist. 17) of Gaithersburg.

If her nomination is approved Thursday — a sitting governor's choice is usually rubber-stamped — Turnbull will succeed Michael E. Cryor, who stepped down as chairman last month after a two-year stint during which Democrats widened their registration advantage over Republicans and captured nine of the state's 10 seats on Capitol Hill.

The growth of the state Democratic Party under Cryor's watch, coupled with the difficulty of preserving those gains through an economic downturn, means Turnbull has a tough road.

"In 2006 and 2008, there has been a strong trend toward the Democratic Party, and it crescendoed at the right time," said G. Keith Haller, president of Potomac Inc., a Bethesda polling firm. "So just to be able to hold those advantages will be difficult at a time of enormous strife, and it certainly makes the job of a state party chair that much more difficult."

Turnbull, a Bethesda resident and former chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, could not be reached for comment. Her term as DNC vice chair recently ended with the historic election of President Obama.

During his tenure, Cryor was the only black Democratic state party chairman in the country. Black lawmakers in the state said the selection of Turnbull, who is white, is not a big concern.

"With the election of Obama as president, I think ethnicity has been mitigated by expertise," said Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr. (D-Dist. 10) of Woodlawn.

It's the governor's prerogative to choose the best candidate for the job without respect to race, said Sen. Nathaniel Exum (D-Dist. 24) of Capitol Heights. "I hoped he would have kept it that way, but he has his reasons."

And while the party will no longer have a black leader, Turnbull would be only the second woman chairman. Longtime educator and former Baltimore city councilwoman Vera P. Hall was tapped to chair the party in 1992.

"Everyone should get a turn," said Del. Herman L. Taylor Jr. (D-Dist. 14) of Ashton. "I'm proud our party is again showing diversity."

Past state party chairman Terry Lierman, who held the position from 2004 to 2007 and engineered the successful 2006 election cycle for Democrats, said Turnbull has to keep up the party's momentum.

Regardless of the number of Democrats already in the state, "you can never have too many Democrats in the room," said Lierman, who is now chief of staff to U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville. "I think any organization that doesn't continue to renew itself will go into decline, and that alone is the reason to keep building and growing."

Unlike Lierman, who served during the term of former Republican governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Turnbull will have the power of the governorship at her back, which should make fundraising and party-building easier.

"When we don't have the governorship, it all falls on the shoulders of the state party," said Del. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington. "Here, it's really about communicating the message of the governor."